Use of Thermal Power Plants by New World Vultures (Cathartidae) as an Artifice to Gain Lift

Freire, Davi Almeida; Gomes, Felipe Bittioli R.; Cintra, Renato J.; Novaes, Weber Galvão

doi:10.1676/14-062.1

“…The soaring activity of both species coincides with the development of thermals. It starts after the local sunrise and finishes before the local sunset (Newman 1958, Pennycuick 1983, Mandel & Bildstein 2007, Freire et al 2015, Novoselova 2016. Vultures often locate their large roosts near man-made structures that generate thermals (Thompson et al 1990, Freire et al 2015.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It starts after the local sunrise and finishes before the local sunset (Newman 1958, Pennycuick 1983, Mandel & Bildstein 2007, Freire et al 2015, Novoselova 2016. Vultures often locate their large roosts near man-made structures that generate thermals (Thompson et al 1990, Freire et al 2015. The lack of strong and constant thermals can keep Turkey Vultures on the ground for several days or more (Mandel & Bildstein 2007).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The lack of strong and constant thermals can keep Turkey Vultures on the ground for several days or more (Mandel & Bildstein 2007). Also, there is a tendency for vultures to select thermals produced by artificial heating of air, such as flared methane vents in landfills or thermal power plants, which are much stronger than natural ones (Mandel & Bildstein 2007, Novaes & Cintra 2013, Freire et al 2015. In particular, Turkey Vultures can continue to soar over artificial thermals (landfill methane vents) with illumination for 90-120 minutes after sunset (Mandel & Bildstein 2007).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Thermal circulation affects Black Vulture Coragyps atratus soaring behaviour in the vicinity of two airports in south-east Brazil.

Novoselova¹,

Macarrão²,

Gallo-Ortiz³

et al. 2022

Vul. News

0

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The growth of air traffic all over the world faces an increasing risk of aircraft collisions with birds. The Black Vulture (Coragyps atratus), being a large soaring species living across the Americas, presents a serious hazard to airplanes. The reduction of this threat without harm to birds is a complex task requiring thorough investigations of their behaviour. Various natural and anthropogenic factors can affect the distribution of soaring Black Vultures in the surrounds of airports. Here we focus on the impact of meteorological parameters (i.e. air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed and atmospheric pressure) on Black Vulture flight at two study sites. In the course of one year, from September 2012 to August 2013, we surveyed with binoculars the soaring activity of Black Vultures around Amarais and Presidente Prudente airports in the southeast of Brazil. The study areas were characterized by tropical climatic conditions with mild dry winter and hot rainy summer. We found that the frequency of soaring flights depended on the wind speed, a proxy of the strength of thermals (upward air flows). This finding is consistent with habits of Black Vultures using thermals for soaring. In contrast, air temperature, air humidity and atmospheric pressure did not affect their activity. We also showed that the different seasons affected the birds’ behaviour, but the degree of their influence depended on the level of anthropogenic pressure in the soaring terrain. Two contrasting types of daily soaring activity appeared: a plateau-like trend and a tendency of two peaks at morning and afternoon with a pronounced drop between them. Our findings can be used to inform methods to reduce the risk of collisions between aircraft and Black Vultures at our study sites, and our analytical approach could be applied elsewhere.

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“…Black Vultures are highly successful opportunist scavengers and exhibit gregarious behavior, actively using manmade structures to both forage and roost ( Novaes & Cintra, 2013 ). They also frequently take advantage of wind thermals to gain flight elevation and save energetic expenditure while soaring ( Freire et al, 2015 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Urban waste disposal explains the distribution of Black Vultures (Coragyps atratus) in an Amazonian metropolis: management implications for birdstrikes and urban planning

Araujo¹,

Peres

²

,

Baccaro

³

et al. 2018

PeerJ

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Collision rates between aircraft and birds have been rising worldwide. The increases in both air traffic and population sizes of large-bodied birds in cities lacking urban planning result in human-wildlife conflicts, economic loss and even lethal casualties. Black Vultures (Coragyps atratus) represent the most hazardous bird to Brazilian civil and military aviation on the basis of their flight behavior, body mass and consequently physical damage to aircraft following collisions. This study investigated how storage apparatus and type of organic residue discarded in public street markets modulate the spatial distribution and abundance of urban Black Vultures in the largest city in the Amazon (Manaus, Brazil). We estimated Black Vulture abundance in relation to the type of solid human waste (animal or plant), the type of waste storage containers and market sizes in terms of the number of vendor stalls at 20 public markets. We also visually quantified the abundance of Black Vultures in urban markets in relation to air traffic. Our results suggest that urban solid waste storage procedures currently used (or the lack thereof) are related to the occurrence and abundance of Black Vultures. Moreover, storage type and the proportion of animal protein (red meat and fish) within rubbish bins directly affects foraging aggregations in vultures. We recommend that policymakers should invest more efforts in building larger and more resistant closable waste containers to avoid organic solid waste exposure. We also identified five outdoor markets as urgent priorities to improve waste disposal. Finally, our waste management guidelines would not only reduce aviation collision risks but also benefit human health and well-being in most cities.

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“…Black Vultures are highly successful opportunist scavengers and exhibit gregarious behavior, actively using manmade structures to both forage and roost (Novaes & Cintra, 2013). They also frequently take advantage of wind thermals to gain flight elevation and save energetic expenditure while soaring (Freire et al, 2015). In this study, we examine how the storage apparatus and type of organic residue discarded in public street markets influence the distribution and abundance of urban Black Vultures, the main bird species involved in birdstrike risk at large Amazonian cities.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Peer Review #2 of "Urban waste disposal explains the distribution of Black Vultures (Coragyps atratus) in an Amazonian metropolis: management implications for birdstrikes and urban planning (v0.1)"

Machado¹

2018

0

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Collision rates between aircraft and birds have been rising worldwide. The increases in both air traffic and population sizes of large-bodied birds in cities lacking urban planning result in human-wildlife conflicts, economic loss and even lethal casualties. Black Vultures (Coragyps atratus) represent the most hazardous bird to Brazilian civil and military aviation on the basis of their flight behavior, body mass and consequently physical damage to aircraft following collisions. This study investigated how storage apparatus and type of organic residue discarded in public street markets modulate the spatial distribution and abundance of urban Black Vultures in the largest city in the Amazon (Manaus, Brazil). We estimated Black Vulture abundance in relation to the type of solid human waste (animal or plant), the type of waste storage containers and market sizes in terms of the number of vendor stalls at 20 public markets. We also visually quantified the abundance of Black Vultures in urban markets in relation to air traffic. Our results suggest that urban solid waste storage procedures currently used (or the lack thereof) are related to the occurrence and abundance of Black Vultures. Moreover, storage type and the proportion of animal protein (red meat and fish) within rubbish bins directly affects foraging aggregations in vultures. We recommend that policymakers should invest more efforts in building larger and more resistant closable waste containers to avoid organic solid waste exposure. We also identified five outdoor markets as urgent priorities to improve waste disposal. Finally, our waste management guidelines would not only reduce aviation collision risks but also benefit human health and well-being in most cities.

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Use of Thermal Power Plants by New World Vultures (Cathartidae) as an Artifice to Gain Lift

Cited by 8 publications

References 12 publications

Thermal circulation affects Black Vulture Coragyps atratus soaring behaviour in the vicinity of two airports in south-east Brazil.

Thermal circulation affects Black Vulture Coragyps atratus soaring behaviour in the vicinity of two airports in south-east Brazil.

Urban waste disposal explains the distribution of Black Vultures (Coragyps atratus) in an Amazonian metropolis: management implications for birdstrikes and urban planning

Peer Review #2 of "Urban waste disposal explains the distribution of Black Vultures (Coragyps atratus) in an Amazonian metropolis: management implications for birdstrikes and urban planning (v0.1)"

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